This invention relates to agents and method of using such agents for the replacement of conventional triglyceridal shortening in yeast-raised bakery products, especially pan breads, while maintaining acceptable fresh slice characteristics, and is particularly directed to powdered agents comprising from about 2.5% to about 97.5% by weight of succinylated monoglycerides or edible salts thereof and from about 2.5% to about 97.5% of a lactylate from a group consisting of sodium stearoyl lactylates, calcium stearoyl lactylates, lactylic stearate, and mixtures thereof.
In the preparation of yeast-raised bakery products, various liquid type triglycerides, commonly referred to as shortenings, are conventionally used to obtain a technically acceptable baked product. The levels of shortening required varies, depending upon the type of bakery product being produced and may range from 0.0% for French type breads up to 8.0% for buns. In general, however, for present day white pan breads the range is from about 2.0% to 5.0% by weight of flour used. Except for a few minor varieties, such as the above mentioned French type breads, all conventional goods baked without shortening tend to be technically unacceptable from the standpoint of sliceability, freshness retention, load volume, crust color, crumb characteristics, mouth feel, taste and aroma.
The most common triglyceridal shortenings presently employed may be either plastic fats, liquid oils, or mixtures thereof, examples of which include lard, edible tallow, soybean oil, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. These triglycerides are believed to aid in the retention of gas products within the bread during particularly soft and porous stages of baking. It is known in the art to employ other optional additives to bread compositions, such as stearoyl lactylates, distilled monoglycerides, mono-diglycerides, ethoxylated mono-diglycerides and succinylated monoglycerides in conjunction with plastic shortenings to further improve the technical acceptability of the finished baked goods. In addition, the use of at least one of the above mentioned additives is mandatory when employing a liquid oil shortening in most conventional and in virtually all continuous type breads.
Attempts to totally replace shortening with other various compositions have generally resulted in technically unacceptable bread according to present day standards, especially with respect to fresh slice characteristics. Thus, it is well known to those versed in the art that although the additives consisting of sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium steraroyl lactylate, lactylic stearate, and mixtures thereof, improve bread quality when used in conjunction with shortening, these same agents when used alone, even when used at the legal maximum level of 0.5% (by weight based upon total formula flour used), do not function well when employed at reduced or zero triglyceridal shortening levels. It is also known that succinylated monoglycerides do not function adequately as a total replacement for triglyceridal shortening, even when used at their legally restricted maximum usage level of 0.5% (by weight of flour used).